The advent of computers have fundamentally changed the way images can be stored, manipulated, and printed. Images can now be captured by digital devices, such as digital cameras and scanners, and stored digitally. A digitally stored image can then be transmitted, enhanced, and manipulated through computer programs. Moreover, as digital technology has improved and associated costs fallen, the resolution of the images captured by these devices continues to improve, and in many cases approaches or exceeds the quality of traditional film photography.
Traditionally, to use a digital image one needed a computer. The computer would be loaded with a variety of different programs to transit, enhance and manipulate the digital images. To obtain a hard copy of the digital image, the user would direct the computer with an appropriate series of commands to send a “print job” from the computer to a traditional printer. While the traditional model works, it does have attendant shortcomings, such as being expensive, complicated, non-portable, etc. To combat such shortcomings, various manufacturers began offering stand-alone printers designed to print digital images. One example of a stand-alone printer is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/164,500, filed on Oct. 1, 1998 assigned to the same assignee hereunder. While stand-alone printers have proven to have remarkable benefits over the traditional model, the present invention offers even more benefits and improvements for stand-alone printers.